Neckband former



July 31, i923.

C.. E. WAREAM ET AL NECKBAND FORMER W MQW Patented italy 3l, i923.

UNHT@ STATES CHARLES E. WAREANC, OF CINCINNATI, AND IDANA H. BENJAMIN, CLETVELANID,`

naaste HEIGHTS, OI-IIO, .ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

NECKBAND FORMER.

Original application filed July 2, 1917, Serial No. 178,286. Divided and this application filed July 22,

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, CHARLES E VAREAM and DANA H. BENJAMIN, citizens of the United States, and residing at Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Chio, and Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County, Chio, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Neckband Formers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in neckband formers for use'in connection with ironing machines and the like.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 178,286, hled July 2, 1917.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved neckband former together with a neckband clamp or clip for securing the front of a neckband of a shirt; to provide an eXtensible neckband former and a neckband clamp that is movably mounted upon the neckband former; and to so construct and arrange the neckband former that it will have yielding movement in a direction normal to the main plane of the neckband former.

Other objects of this invention will appear from th-e following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of our improved device; Fig. 2 is a section taken on lineQ-Q of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. l is a section taken on line Ll-- of Fig. 1.

The padded ironing board 1 may be supported in any suitable manner. A longitudinal bar 2 lies in a recess of the board 1 beneath thepadding thereon and is provided with a recess to receive the vertical pins 3 on which are located the sleeves 4L mounted in recesses in the stationary forward portion 5 of the neckbandl former. The sleeves fi can rise and fallon the pins 8 with the ironing. motion of the presser head or sad iron or the like, so as to allow the neckband former to sink with the pad ding when ironing pressure isapplied to the shirt, but prevents any horizontal motion of the stationary member 5 of the neckband former relative to the main support of the ironing board.

Suitable means is provided for enabling Serial No. 486,778.

the size of the neckband former to be varied to accommodate shirts of various sizes and to also enable the neckband formerto be p expanded in the neckband of the shirt and to produce the proper form thereof. The expanding movement is secured by moving back the back portions of the neckband former, but it is understood that since the curve of the neckband former always'bea'rs a definite relation to the folding line at the yoke end of the shirt board, the board is rod 9 whose ends enter `openings in the ad? i justable back portions 10 of the neckband former. Said back portions are yattached to pins or rods 11 which enter horizontal openings in the' 'stationary forward portion of the neckband former, said openings diverging from the tail toward the neckband end of the shirt board as indicated in Fig. l. When the shirt board 1 is moved rearwardly, the rod 9 is carriedback and moves with` it the adjustable rear portions 10 of the neckband former, said portions also moving outwardly from the full lineV to the dotted line position,.Fig. 1, thereby expanding the neckband former but substantially maintaining its neckband shape. The back yoke receiving member may be heated in any suitable manner, such as by electric current supplied to an electric unit therein, as in the parent application beforel referred to.

The neckband of the shirt is applied toz the neckband former un'bottoned, itsyedges merely meeting or abutting, although they may lap slightly if desired. The absence of buttons requires 'the meeting'ends of. the shirtv neckband to be clamped or held against the stationary front portion of the neckband former before expanding the former inthe neckband to avoid separating the meeting ends of the neclrband. For this purpose we provide the neclrband clamping member 15 which comprises the body portion 16 sliding in a recess in the top ot the stationary portion -oLt vthe nefclrband Yiormer and having a depending flange 17 lying in iront oi said former and whose inner surface next to the neclrband may be padded or otherwise provided with a yielding clamping surface 18.

Tl is clamping device is either rigidly or pivotally attached to the rod 19 around which is a spiral compression spring 2O tending to move said clamping member away from the neck-band former, that is to the.

release position. Bod 19 extends rearwardly through an opening in an l..-shaped locking' member 21 and then through an opening in the upwardly extending portion 22 oi a slide 2S movable longitudinally in the stationary body portion of the neclrband former and provided with a recess 24 to receive the lower edge oit the locking member 21. A light compression spring 25 is located between members 21 and 22 and tends to move the member 2l forwardly or to the right as viewed vin the gures of the drawing. The opening in said member is slightly larger than Vthe rod 19, so that when the vertical portion of the member 21 assumes a position askew to the axis ot rod 19 under the iniiuence ot spring 25, it grips the rod and prevents it from moving forwardly. Pressure applied by the lingers to the clamping member 1G to push the same backwardly will swing member 21 backwardly about its lower edge, release the rod, and allow it to move rearwardly. v rlfhis arrangement enables the shirt to be pressed upon the board with the neclrband surrounding the neckband former and the clamping member to be pushed backwardly by the fingers or thumb in light temporary clamping engagement with the neckband former. The slide 23 is also provided with a depending notched portion 26 to receive a .torwardly extending` toe 27 on the bar 28 which slides in a recess or channel of the bar 2, and whose forward end is suitably connected to operating mechanism not here illustrated.

ln preparing the shirt for ironing, it is placed upon the board with the ends or the neclband meeting or overlapping beneath the clamping member 17 which is pushed up into clamping engagement with the neckband. rlhe stationary body portion oi the neclrband former is usually provided with an under-eut groove or channel to receive the neckband as seen in Fig, 2, and a clamping action of the neckband clamp forces the neclrband into its seat in said channel. The operating mechanism is then manipulated with the result that the bar 28 is moved to the lett, as viewed in the drawings, and likewise the slide 23 is also moved to the left so as to cause the clamping member to be moved in the same direction into iirm clamping engagement with the neclrband. This operation and movement ot the parts in the manner described isy made possible by the engagement oi' the lower edgeportion of the L-shaped locking member 21 in the notch in the upper part ci the slide 23 and the'binding or locking engagement oi the locking member with the rod 19. Any suitable means may be adopted tor operation of the slide 23 and the board 1 carrying the back yoke ironing portion. After the clamp has been brought into iirm clamping engagement with the front portion of the neckband former, further manipulation of the operating mechanism affects the expansion or extension of the rear portions ot the neclrband iormer so as to take on the Vsize and shape of the neclband out the particular shirt to be ironed. to be ironed either by hand or machine.

YWhen the shirt has been ironed, it is released '.t'rom the board by causing the rear portions of the neclrband former to be moved inwardly so as to release the neckband ot the shirt and the clamping member is released trom engagement with the neclrband so that the shirt can be readily removed. rlhe clamping member is releasedl by downward pressure by the operator upon the l.- shaped locking member against the tension of the spring 25, whereupon the rod 19s released from the binding engagement of the locking member and is at once moved to the right toward released position under the influence ot the spring 20.

l/Vhether the ironing operation is performed by means ot' an overhead steam chest as part of an ironing machine or' by a manually operated sad iron, our improved device possesses the advantage which resides in the tact that no tearing or" the neckband .away from the body of the shirt will be caused by any ironing pressure at this point since the neclrband former will yield to any such pressure. At the same time the neckband is held firmly clamped and is not disturbed by the yielding of the neckband former. Such an arrangement means a decided saving in cost ot operation since it minimizes the loss by damage to the shirts being ironed.

lvl/lhat we claim is:

1. ln a device of the character described, neclrband former, a neclrband clamp movably mounted upon the iront ot said former, means for locking said clamp in clamping position, and means for tightening said clamp against said former while maintaining said clamp against release.

2. ln a device ot the character described, a neckband former, a neclband clamping means for operative engagement with the front oi said former, means tending to nor- The shirt is then ready means cio-operating Withsaid lock for tightening the clamping engagement of said clamping means.

4;. In a device of the character described, a neckband former, a slidable neckband clamping means for operative engagement With the front of said former, a slidable member having operative connection With said clamping means for clamping the same, means for operating said slidable member, and a releasable lockingmember operatively associated With said slidable member and clamping means to tighten said clamping means upon operation of said slidable member and to lock said clamping means in engagement with said neckband former. n

5. In a device of the character described,

a neclzband former, a slidable neckband clamp for operative engagement With the front of said former, a, look member, a rodkv connected at one end to said clamp and eX- tending thro-ugh said lock member, mea-ns tending to normally orcesaid lock member Vinto looking engagement with said rod so as to prevent release ofsaid clamp, aI slidable means having operative connection With said lock member so as to canse sliding movement of said clamp into tight clamp-ing engagement. f

In testimony whereof We hereby aliiX our signatures.

CHARLES E. WAREAM. V DANA I-I. BENJAMIN. 

